If Canada were a canvas, than the wild spaces protected within it - all 10% - would appear as different colours, running together, until the canvas turned gray. That's because conservation issues in our country are not black and white. What we sometimes see as one big win is really the first of many small wins needed to protect a precious place. Isn’t it always like that, though? What’s most important takes the most work.

 

In 2009, the Federal Government expanded the Nahanni National Park Reserve protecting the land within it. The land the river flows through is protected forever but the source of the river, the headwaters, is not. That's why a proposal has been put forward to protect the South Nahanni River Headwaters and complement the Park Reserve.

 

Do you know what a MERA is? I’ll be honest; I didn’t know before writing this post. A MERA is actually a Mineral and Energy Resource Assessment. It's what happens when the federal government and the territories work together to figure out how to best go about protecting ecosystems and balancing them with needed resources. The Greater Nahanni Ecosystem went ahead and “got MERA-ed.” The result?  Three different boundary options that honour existing mineral interests protect the eco-system and allow for the creation of a park. Here’s the clincher – together with First Nations and conservation groups, the Canadian public can help decided which boundary lines to choose. This is the real deal. We could completely protect Nahanni, headwaters and all. But for that to happen, Nahanni needs public input.

 

Click through to add your voice and consider my image of our country as a canvas: many voices bring new perspective and colour to it and what' we're left with rises above the gray as a definitive line on what matters most to Canadians.

The Watercolour featured here is by Quebec artist Edith Dora Ray. You can read her delightful blog with the clever name, here.